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Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire, who you might remember as plain ol’ Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg), is the acting governor of California as of today.

Regular governor Gavin Newsom is out of town on high-profile business, and regular lieutenant governor Eleni Kounalakis appears to be likewise preoccupied, though not on high-profile business, so that means that our boy gets to sit in the big chair.

A spokesperson for McGuire told the Outpost that the present state of affairs will continue until either Newsom or Kounalakis gets back to Sacramento, whichever happens first. Time TBD.

Governor McGuire’s office issued the following statement upon his ascension:

As Californians gather to celebrate this amazing nation we all call home over the 4th of July holiday, we’ll also be on high alert as record-setting temperatures and challenging fire conditions set in across a wide swath of the Golden State. The State Office of Emergency Services has pre-deployed firefighting resources in the highest fire threat regions and CalFire is throwing everything they’ve got at the Thompson Fire in Butte County. We’ll remain in close contact with CalFire and State OES leaders in the coming days, and will ensure counties and local communities are receiving the resources they need during this extreme heat wave and time of high fire danger.

We’re grateful to the women and men of the state’s fire service and all first responders who will be working day and night keeping our communities safe over this extended holiday weekend. We hope all Californians stay safe, stay cool and stay vigilant as they celebrate this upcoming 4th of July holiday!

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